She Asked Him First
by Violet Cleric
Summary: A prelude to a fantasy epic featuring Takeru but for now is a love triangle involving Taito and Sorato. Ending, probably Taito. By the way, is a Mimikeru or Daikeru more preferable?
1. Default Chapter

Author's note: Why I decided to start writing fan fiction during A level year is unclear. Perhaps it's because I just learnt how. To post stories I mean, not write them. Yes, this story is written by a technical moron.

Disclaimer: Current state, digimonless

Warnings: Yaoi, fluff. Don't mind flames, would just make my life more interesting.

She Asked Him First

Chapter 1: If only...

Taichi Yagami looked wistfully at the blonde and the carrot top sitting side by side underneath a tree. An ideal class couple. A normal guy-girl relationship to say the least. Taichi sighed and surreptitiously tried to get as many glances over as possible. Not very easy considering that he was eating lunch with a bunch of soccer jocks. Plus the fact that the window didn't present a clear view of the outside.

He had really tried not to be jealous, tried to be happy for his female soccer counterpart and the love of his life. He loved them both, really. And if you loved someone, wouldn't you want that someone to be happy? Then why the guilt, the difficulty in not blushing when hanging out with Sora or Yamato? Truth is, he wanted Yamato for himself.

"What's up?" Takeshi exclaimed, torn between amusement and exasperation, "Quit spacing already!"

"Huh? Sorry, what did you say?" Taichi replied apologetically.

"For the fourth time... Taichi!"

_If only I had confessed before Sora, I wouldn't have to wonder..._

"Taichi! You listening?"

"Yeah."

"Give me fifty bucks."

"Yeah."

Taichi looked up, startled, as the whole table burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Taichi asked, annoyed, wanting to be let in on the joke.

* * *

What would he have thought? What would he have said? Even if he didn't feel for me the way I feel for him, surely he wouldn't discount all the times we had? Would we still be friends? But what if... what's the point? He's not with me now is he

Sure, it hurts. They walk to school together everyday, him holding her hand, her, trying to make him laugh. Yamato has lightened up a lot after the stints in the digital world. But it was still no mean feat make him laugh. Usually a pained smile or a grimace if the joke was really flat but a laugh was rare.

There they were, walking together after school. Yamato was going to send Sora home before going for band practice. One hand supported his guitar, casually slung over his shoulder. The other hand held Sora's, a perpetual stab in a certain brown-haired boy's heart. The expression on Yamato's face was tender, not quite a smile, but one could see the affection it contained. Taichi quickly turned away when Yamato chanced to glance at his direction, prepared to chat animatedly to whoever was beside him.

"Aren't you in my... one of my classes?" He tried hopefully. _I am such a moron._

"I doubt it. I don't remember any of my classes having attention deprived desperados." The girl (whoever she was) responded acidly before stalking off.

"Taichi?" A familiar baritone voice called uncertainly.

"Hey guys!" Taichi made towards them as if having just spotted them.

_Oh yes, I'm a great, pretennnnnder..._

"I thought I saw you looking at us but you turned away, wasn't sure it was you." Yamato looked inquiringly at Taichi, Sora by his side trying not to laugh for some reason.

"Yeah? I didn't notice ha ha ha!" Taichi ran his hand through his hair in what he hoped was a casual manner.

"You just never change do you?" Sora giggled.

Yamato just rolled his eyes in mock contempt. "So what's up with you today?"

"Soccer practice. Then homework I guess."

"Oh. Won't bother you then." They turned to go.

"See you tomorrow." Taichi had to work hard to mask the longing in his eyes, as they turned round to wave.

* * *

Disappointment flared though Yamato as he walked Sora back. He had been hoping to spend more time with Taichi, have a good long talk maybe. Taichi was the only person he felt comfortable with other than Sora. They could chat for hours on end and not even feel the time go by. It was different with other people. He instinctively clammed up. Never with Taichi though.

Even his passion for music could not disguise his melancholy that day. Or the months before that for that matter. It usually surfaced whenever he didn't get the opportunity to spend time with his best friend.

_We barely spoke for more than two sentences..._

His band mates noticed of course. The brooding, the distracted look that clouded his eyes made it more than obvious. However, Yamato being Yamato always insisted that he was fine. Anyway, he never let the band down and was always on par during practices and gigs so they figured it was no big deal.

Taichi called him that evening after dinner. Needed help with a math problem.

_ Don't you want to just talk_

"Yeah, 0.25 should be the answer. Anything else?"

"Nah, I won't hold you up. I know you call Sora everyday."

_ Do you have to be so considerate you moron? I can always call her later._

"Sure, bye. And you owe me tuition fees for the past years as well."

There was a chuckle on the other end before Taichi hung up. Oh well, perhaps it was just as well. He wouldn't want Taichi thinking he was desperate for his companionship or something.

* * *

That night, Sora hugged a pillow to her stomach, staring up at the bedroom ceiling, unable to sleep. The conversation with Yamato had been pleasant, but a sense of something missing gnawed at her. He was forever cordial and engaging but she still wasn't satisfied. A hot surge of guilt ran through her. There was nothing wrong with Yamato. Ever since he agreed to date her, he had been nothing short of perfect. Regular dates, regular phone calls, the occasional treat where he baked for her. So why the need for something more?

She laughed as she recalled how she and Taichi managed to persuade Yamato to play tennis. He had grumbled incessantly when the hot sun caused him to sweat, making the gel run. His hair had wilted like a three-day-old rose. He had stormed off when Taichi mentioned that less than flattering analogy, leaving "you jocks to play by yourselves. I'll only ruin the game." Two sets later, they went into the reception room of the sports complex to find Yamato planted under the air-conditioner still attempting to rescue his hair. Taichi had doubled up with laughter, earning himself a kick in the shin.

_We had lots of fun then. I know Yamato did too even if he insisted he wasted the whole bloody day._

Yamato was very casual around her. She was probably the only person he never scowled at. She felt honoured that he was so at ease around her. The only other person he was that comfortable with was Taichi but there was always the endless banter, exchange of insults, punches to the shoulder... Boys.

* * *

Okie there you have it. By the way, I'm totally discounting the fact that the barrier or whatever between the real world and digital world was erased and everybody got a digimon and lived happily ever after ending. Totally destroys the novelty doesn't it? Till next time, jya ne! 


	2. Why Am I Lost?

A/N: I've writer's block already! I might want to carry later parts of the story into a slightly less mundane plane. Literally. For the time being it is still stuck in Odaiba High School. Sigh There's just been a dry spell in my country recently, doing something to my head...

Disclaimer: No digimon to wash off my hands

Chapter 2-Why Am I Lost?

"Oops! Sorry," Yamato said gallantly, grabbing the arm of a girl whom he had knocked into.

"It's alright," she breathed as he righted her then dashed off in a whirl of blonde.

"Where is he? He's never around when I want to see him and when I'm busy I see him all the time!"

Yamato's mind was a swirl of jumbled random thoughts as he sidestepped people and rounded corners to look for Taichi, hoping to catch the boy before he left for home.

"Fat chance, he's always the first to leave school when the bell rings. Oh I'm fortune's fool! Guess Ms. Yui would be proud of that, forever telling us to apply lit in our lives... Why I am even talking to myself? Stop it!"

He said the last two words out loud unconsciously just the object of his search came into sight. Having pressed his head between his hands, he was not paying particular attention and knocked into a second person in as many minutes.

This one was not so forgiving.

"Where d'you think you're going?" Tokira, the school bully leered, pushing Yamato against the wall.

"Hey sorry man. I was just on my way." It came out easily and apologetically enough. At least, Yamato hoped so.

"Try telling me to stop this!" Tokira snarled, swinging a fist the size of a grapefruit toward Yamato.

"Oh God, not the face!" Yamato thought, squeezing his eyes shut and bracing for a blast of pain. "Maybe I can borrow foundation from Miyako, would that cover the bruise?"

But the blow never came. Yamato squinted slightly, to see Tokira's fist caught in Taichi's grip.

"Sod off." Taichi's voice was low and even, his eyes glinting dangerously.

Tokira's reputation was at stake but he knew that if he took on Taichi, the whole soccer team would be on him in no time. He stalked off, not before brushing his palm across Taichi's cheek. An uneasy feeling lurched in his stomach. There will be a reckoning for this.

"Taichi! Are you ok?" Yamato's anxious, harried voice jolted him out of his reverie.

"I should be asking you that," he chuckled then his voice took on a more serious tone. "Do you want to report that?"

"No need. Wouldn't work anyway. Comes with having his dad as a minister." Yamato muttered darkly before remembering what he wanted to say.

"Oh by the way, I was looking everywhere for you."

Taichi's heart skipped a beat. He forced down the loony grin that was threatening to spread across his face. Thankfully flushes don't show too well on tanned skin.

"What for?"

"Just that band practice was cancelled. Shozo had to attend a wake out of town and we figured there was no point practicing without a drummer. So, you want to go out later?"

The consternation on Taichi's face was all the answer he needed.

"Damn! The coach called us for practice today cause he won't be around the rest of the week. How about tomorrow?" He looked up hopefully.

"No, Sora's free then, I'm taking her out." Yamato responded dolefully.

"Sure, have fun!" Taichi sounded so cheerful that he couldn't help feeling hurt but he kept an aloof expression.

"See you around then," he casually replied. What was he supposed to do for the rest of the day?

* * *

"Let me ask you is there a God up there!" Yamato wailed into the telephone to an amused younger brother. The leather couch squeaked in protest as he punched it.

"That depends on whose perspective," Takeru said darkly. "I say no because I'm forced to listen to you woes."

"And that would be your fault because you refused to go out with me! I'm bored."

"And I'm busy! What did you think? Anyway even if I did accompany you, you would still be pouring your troubles to me!"

Yamato frowned. Takeru was forever busy. Actually it began after they had rescued Metalgreymon from the black spiral. Since then, Takeru's grades had taken a huge jump. He also joined all sorts of high profile societies, activities and had girls hankering after him. It was almost creepy, and definitely weird.

"What is it that you're doing anyway?"

"Cover story for the school magazine. It's due tomorrow."

"Won't keep you then."

"No wait! May I ask you something oniichan?"

Yamato just scowled at the ceiling. He knew he should be happy for his younger brother's sudden intellectual advancement. His parents certainly were but it reminded him strongly of the dark seeds in Ken. Also, Takeru had become more distant almost. He was still the same friendly, kind kid but so much more independent. He even wrote articles and designed web pages freelance, insisting to Natsuko that he didn't need pocket money.

Takeru must have taken silence to mean consent.

"Why are you so bothered with not spending time with Taichi? It's almost... as if you like being with Taichi more than Sora. No offence alright?" He quickly added.

"Rubbish!" Yamato scoffed but his heart jumped and something tugged at his stomach. He knew that feeling, having felt it so many times in the digital world. It was guilt.

"Well, just wondering. I hope you'll be honest with me though. I told you about Daisuke."

Yamato could just imagine Takeru pouting over the line.

"Fine. Here's the deal. Sora is kind, sincere, sweet; I mean she took care of everybody in the digital world. I will never forget that. Especially how she offered that some of the group goes with me when I wanted to be alone. I was such a selfish jerk but she still cared. Then she says she likes me and I owed it to her, know what I mean?" It came out a garbled rush and Yamato found himself anxiously waiting for Takeru's response.

"Right. So the feeling's not mutual."

"Who says it's not?" Yamato was getting very annoyed. "She's a great girl but after spending all that time with her I find I don't get to see Taichi so much is all."

"That's natural. Lots of couples spend less time with their friends, especially after having just gotten together."

Now that Takeru seemed more caring, Yamato was unconsciously opening up. "But I don't want that. I miss him."

"Ok that's not natural. Usually people only start missing their friends when they break up cause that's when they realize they've been neglecting their friends."

"That's not the point! What magazine have you been reading? That sounds like the worst case of psycho-babble."

"That's exactly the point." Takeru ploughed on unfazed by his older brother's rudeness. "Maybe your feelings toward Sora a merely platonic but you accepted her because you were grateful for the things she did for you. You like her very much but not enough to fill the void a significant other can fill."

"Yeah. Listen I gotta go. Good luck for your article."

Takeru sighed. He knew better than to push Yamato too much. "Thanks, bye."

Yamato stared at the cordless phone in his hands, his thoughts repeatedly drifting to what his younger brother had said. The guilt inside was full blown now. Takeru was right, he only regarded Sora as a good friend. Her intimate advances left him more uncomfortable than delighted. If he truly loved her, wouldn't he be more than happy to reciprocate? Surely she deserved better.

"I will try to love her." He whispered resolutely through the soft static, gripping the phone to strengthen his resolve.


End file.
